The Love Of A Cousin Goes A Long, Long, Way
by Dramaqueen247
Summary: Carlton has fallen into a coma because of the Speed he took at the prom. Will withdraws into a state of depression, by his cousin side, day by day praying for a miracle-if it means paying with his life.
1. Day One

Disclaimer- I DON'T KNOW SHI—TTAKE MUSHROOMS, LET ALONE THE CHARACTERS

Disclaimer- I DON'T KNOW SHI—TTAKE MUSHROOMS, LET ALONE THE CHARACTERS!

DAY ONE

His hands were shaking as fast as a vibrating object. He tried to hold his hands together, but the sweat from his skin made them slip apart. He instead clasped them together behind his neck, breathing hard. This was all his fault. For the first time in his life, he knew this was all his fault.

He looked up to the ceiling from where he was sitting, and said, "God? Why did you do this to me? What was so wrong with me that you had to go and make it my fault anyways? I mean, you didn't _have _to send Carlton to my locker, and lick up the pills that he thought was vitamin E. Why me? Why Carlton?"

He looked at Carlton's body. Sweat dripped down his cold cheeks, and his eyelids twitched every minute. Other than that, he did not move an inch. The veins in his arms and neck were purple, protruding slightly. As Will touched his cousin's hand, he felt something similar to cold stone. The eerie beeping sound from his monitor imposed upon Will the seriousness of what he had done. Indirectly, he had led his own cousin to an early death because he took the Speed that he thought was vitamin E

This was not supposed to happen, thought Will sadly, as he squeezed Carlton's dead hand. He was supposed to be at his prom now, with his friends standing by him and all the ladies looking after him. His cousin was supposed to stand by his side all night, as the butt of height jokes and his longtime supporter and friend. It was not supposed to happen like this.

How was he going to tell Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian? They would be so hurt. And angry, too. They would probably kick him out of the house. He would have deserved it. He was no longer sure if he should be able to live a lavish lifestyle with such wonderful people, the parents of the son he murdered.

The nurse came into the room sadly, "It's time for you to go," she said. "It's getting late."

"I'm staying right here," said Will hoarsely, but with defiance. She hung her head and turned to go.

"Miss?"

She turned around.

"Is he going to…be okay? What happened to him?"

Her next words ring in his mind for years to come.

"He had an overdose. An overdose can cause something like death, but worse, The seizures, the heart problems…I didn't how he did it."

"What?" said Will, feeling a knot in his stomach.

"Survived it. His heart is still beating, but not without help. And his breathing is the same, too, I guess. But it's shallow breathing. And he won't be able to hold on much longer without vital medical help."

"What are you saying?" Will snapped, standing up. "_What's wrong with Carlton?!_"

The nurse shuddered slightly at his reaction and at the disgust of it all.

"He's in a coma."

The words came crashing down all around Will's big ears, and a roaring sound replaced it; he felt nauseous. He held the posts of the bed to steady himself. _No, no, no…_

"When we pumped the Speed out of his body, we seemed to have drained something else out of him. Blood or something. Which made him weak enough to slip into this deep sleep. And we're really unsure whether or not he'll wake up. I'm, sorry, Mr. Smith."

And all Will could think of as he slid into darkness was, _no, no, no…please, no…_

**A/N: I'm sure Will seems a little OOC, but even crazy funny dudes like him have a sensitive side, right?**


	2. Day Two

Disclaimer- I DON'T KNOW SHI—TTAKE MUSHROOMS, LET ALONE THE CHARACTERS

DAY TWO

The sunlight pierced through his closed eyelids, awakening him from a deep slumber. He scrunched up his face in dissent; he wanted to go back to sleep. But the sunlight continued to reach him, and so then, slowly, he opened his eyes.

At first all he could see was the sky and sun. He blinked excessively, adjusting to the light of daytime. He looked around. He lay in a hospital bed, in a small dingy hospital room. All the memories cane rushing back to him, and he tried to jump out of bed. But his body was still limp and heavy from sleep. Here he was perfectly fine, but in a hospital bed, while somewhere out there, his cousin was all alone.

Alone? NOT ALONE. For as Will twisted his torso around to see what else he could do with his body, not only did he recognize a faint beeping sound, but Carlton lay in another bed, the same as before.

Will heard the air rushing past his eardrums.

"Carlton…" he breathed, trembling with unshed tears. "Oh, Carlton…"

Whatever had he done to deserve this? Now his cousin could die because of him. He was way too young to live with himself after this. He'd probably commit-

_No, Will, you will not commit suicide, _said a strong voice in his head. _You will not have to commit suicide because your cousin is going to live. Do you hear me? He is going to survive!_

This was too much for him. He needed to talk to somebody. And fast.

He checked the clock next to him.10 AM in the morning. No doubt Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian heard what was going on. They were coming through that door any minute now-

The doors banged open. There they were, worn out and worried.

"Will," uncle Phil said, until he noticed that Will was pale and sickly.

"Honey, what happened?" said Aunt Vivian. She walked over to his side of the bed, and tried to put her arms around him, but she moved away, shaking his head sadly.

"I'm…" he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I'm moving out, Aunt Viv."

"What?" said Phillip, outraged.

Will stared at Uncle Phil with a vacant expression.  
"You heard me, " he said evenly. "I said I'm moving out, Uncle Phil. It's the best for all of us."

"Well-well-well, where are you gonna live, how are you gonna pay for food and clothes, what are you gonna do?" uncle Phil was stumbling over his own words; it could not be true; how the hell was Will Smith going to leave this house if he had no allowance? Without that, he'd had no future!

"It must be the shock of what happened last night, Phillip, he doesn't mean it," said Vivian, rubbing Will's arm gently.

"No, Aunt Viv," said Will calmly. "I've made up my mind."

"What?" Aunt Viv.

"Look, this is too much for me right now, and I need to get out and find out what is most important to me."

Now they were really getting panicked. If will had made his choice…

"Wait a minute, Will," said Uncle Phil frantically. "Now, if you're planning to leave our home, fine. But at least stay in the pool house. Then no one will bother you."

Will was silent for a moment. Then he said, " Maybe you can move some of my stuff there. But I'm telling you. I'm moving out, and moving into this hospital, until Carlton's awake."

Aunt Vivian looked desperately at Phil, who bit his lip in frustration.

In the back of his mind, he knew that nothing he or Aunt Vivan said would change this man's mind.

Taking deep calming breaths, Phil said, "All…alright, son…but please, make sure that this a decision you're willing to go through with, that you are completely sure of."

Will's dull eyes pierced through Uncle Phil's right to his heart.

"Yes, I'm sure," said Will stiffly.

Phil bowed his head in resignation. "Fine," he sighed. "I'll give you three days in order for you to change your mind."

"No need to, Phil," said Will, gesturing towards the door. "I made my decision."

He wanted them to go. They obliged.

The moment they were gone, Will turned over to look at Carlton.

Who still wasn't awake.

"Lord, if you kill him, I'm going after, and taking you with me."

**A/N: I hope you're enjoying this. Shorter chapters mean more suspense, right?**


	3. Day Three

Disclaimer- I DON'T KNOW SHI—TTAKE MUSHROOMS, LET ALONE THE CHARACTERS

Day three

"Mr. Smith?"

He heard, but didn't answer, His eyes stayed closed.

"Mr. Smith."

The sweat from his forehead gave his face a sickly shine. His lips were void of blood.

The door opened, revealing a pretty nurse holding a breakfast tray for two. She wore a fake smile of reassurance.

"Are you hungry? I'm here to bring you some breakfast!"

_She sounds like a preschool teacher._

He still didn't answer. The only way that he would was if Carlton did first.

"Mr. Smith?" The smile faded in her voice.

He still didn't give in. Her high heels clicked towards the door.

"Um…enjoy, Mr. Smith," she said meekly.

The door closed. Finally.

He found that as long as he imagined his lips were glued together, he didn't have to feel too guilty about not answering a beautiful honey like her.

A jolt of surprise shot through his veins when he realized that beauty meant nothing to him now. She could have had big breasts, little waist, and juicy behind, but she meant nothing to him now. Beauty doesn't mean you're a good person. Those who aren't always a 10 happen to have more depth in personality. Sort of like…

He opened his eyes to look at his cousin.

Who still was not awake. The beeping sound from the machine ticked Will off to no end. But he would have to deal with it, or risk losing Carlton like he feared he would

Knock knock knock.

_Who the hell is that?_

Will's eye opened a slit to see Ashley close the door behind her, looking at the two boys on the bed. She was wearing a white tank top, black tights, and a black sweatshirt. Her hair was in a braid behind her back, and Will could see, by her weary visage, that she was not supposed to be here. Her red eyes, her chapped lips, her growling stomach, and the absence of makeup made it clear that she had been in a hurry.

Without making it known that he was awake, Will watched her every move on the down low. He was SO not in the mood for her right now, SO not in the mood to talk.

She stood there for a moment, looking at Carlton. Her lips quivered as she moved towards him, and touched his head with hers.

"Carlton," she whimpered.

Will felt his heart break. So this is what he had done to his favorite cousin, Ashley. He had made her cry. It was all his fault. If she found out that Carlton took the pills from Will's locker, he knew she would kill him. If uncle Phil did not get to him first.

Ashley stayed in that position for a maximum of two minutes before she wiped her eyes and took a look at Will.

His eyes were not open enough for her to notice, as she kneeled down beside him, looking just as forlorn.

"Will? I know you're in there somewhere. So please…wake up."

He really wanted to comply, but he just could not bring himself to.

She held her breath in a for a second, then let it out in defeat.

"Okay," she said. "Fine. Will, I know it was you."

_WHAT!_

"Yes, Will, I know it was you. The whole school knows it was you. The police searched down every locker until they got to yours. And some other guys near yours. And they're planning on telling Dad in six days if I don't. If we don't. If you don't. I ran as fast as I could from the scene and only just got here to tell you about this. No one knows where I am, and nobody's at home, so I'm planning on going back to the house. Tell him yourself, Will, and I know you'll be alright."

Will was in a state of distress. All of the sudden, everyone knew about the Speed, and Will was going to die.

"Listen, Will," said Ashley, choking up. "I know it was never you directly or intentionally. Carlton should have read the pills first. But you know that in Dad's eyes you are the killer. But I do not blame you, Will. I once thought of taking drugs myself. But I left it at that. And after last night, I'll never think of it again. But please…please tell the truth."

_Or what? _He ventured to wonder.

"Or I'll have to."

This was a bad situation here, oh very yes indeed.

"I know you'll make the right choice." She made to get up out of her chair, but then she stopped, looking resolute.

"My dear cousin…" She traced his ears with her tiny finger.

"I love you Will," said Ashley. Leaning forward, she did something that would ring in his mind in years to come.

She kissed him. A small peck was all it was, but she kissed him. It showed that either she loved him as a brother or _lurved _him. He would like to go with the "loved as a brother" theory. She leaned back, looking shy but serious. Oh yes, it was definitely "LOVED AS A BROTHER" written all over her face.

Her eyes filled with tears again.

"Please come back."

Without another word, she stood up, ran to the door, and slammed it behind her as she left.

And then he let the tears fall.

Now he wasn't so sure he wanted to get out of bed, let alone tell Uncle Phil about the Speed. But then again, was he so selfish for his own privleges that he was going to hide the truth? Any how, what choice did he have? Ashley would tell him anyway. Also, it felt to him like he was betraying Carlton, or making the whole thing seem like a joke. Not telling for fear of his own behind not getting whipped by his mother was a disservice to Carlton, whom he had sent to look for Vitamins in his locker.

Did he really have to do this?

The answer to that was lying over at the next bed, still not awake. Since Will's bed was against Carlton's he could move his body towards his cousin to look at him. Carlton's face held a look of utter confusion.

That was his last thought before blacking out. Because of Will. Carlton had so much to live for, and just because Will wanted to stay awake, this is what happened to someone he loved so much.

And now he was going to back away from what he deserved?

Will's tears dropped onto Carlton's pale face. His eyes traveled to the machine next to him that kept Carlton living. The beeps sounded like Carlton's heartbeat, but with an eerie twist. Because of Will, the beeps could stop any moment.

Will looked at where Carlton's eyes may never open again.

With great effort, and a heavy heart, lifted himself from the damp pillows where he cried so much at night.

He rested his head on his knees, sobbing again.

"God," he whispered. "Please, please, please give him back…I'll give anything…I'll do what I have to do, but please give him back…"

**A/N: Okay, the last few chapters are going to be two different endings. The first one is going to take at least two more chapters. The second one will probably only need one. Come back soon! :)**


	4. 1st Ending: Day Four

Disclaimer- I DON'T KNOW SHI—TTAKE MUSHROOMS, LET ALONE THE CHARACTERS

First ending-Day four

It was three o' clock in the afternoon. Uncle Phil, Aunt Vivian, Hilary, and Ashley were standing outside the hospital room that held two of their family. The doctor had called and told them to come quickly, for Will had serious news to relate to them. Nobody knew what it was except Ashley. Internally, she was impressed with Will's perfect timing. The police had just sent a note about the Speed situation the moment Uncle Phil got the call. She crossed her fingers under her sweater as they were allowed inside.

What they saw wasn't surprising to her.

Will was sitting cross-legged on his bed, sweaty and flushed. He was not smiling. In front of him was a piece of paper. Carlton lay next to him. Not moving.

She took one look at him before turning to Will and giving him a hug.

"Oh, Will, you're awake," she whimpered, kissing his cheek. He felt damp and hot beneath her cold fingers.

Uncle Phil, Hilary and Aunt Vivian went to hug him as well, but he said, "No, wait. You need to hear what I gotta say first."

They stood stock still, a look of suspicion on their faces.

"Oh, god," said Hilary, "You haven't showered?"

Will rolled his eyes.

"No, Hilary, that's no what I gotta say."

"Well then spit it out already, I have a hair appointment to attend in fifteen minutes," Hilary sniffed.

Ashley and Will stared at her with squinted eyes. She fell silent at the look on their faces.

Will shared eye contact with Ashley. She gave him a pat on the shoulder, and stood really close to him, facing her family with apprehension.

"Guys," said Will. "I know what I am about to say will ruin your lives. You will want to kick me out, even beat me up. I won't blame you. But…"

A lump grew in his throat at the thought of living without his relatives anymore.

"…the reason that I decided not to live in your house anymore is because that the pills that Carlton took…were from my locker."

"_What?" _squeaked Aunt Vivian.

"I'm so sorry," said Will, feeling his eyes burn with tears. "I had basketball and finals and everything… one of the guys at school offered me some stuff to help me stay awake. And I only…thought about em', I didn't know what they were yet either, until the prom night when they told me so…and-th—then Carlton…"

He heaved with pent up bawls. He gritted his teeth to keep them from coming.

"This was all my fault…and so if you wanna leave me…I'm not gonna fight you. I'm sorry."

He bowed his head in submission to whatever was going to happen to him.

Uncle Phil took two steps toward him. His face was murderous. Will looked up hopefully.

All he saw was a pudgy fist.

And all went black.

"How could you do that?" Ashley screamed, rubbing Will's head as he fell back against the pillows.

"Oh my god…" said Uncle Phil, looking at his fist. "What have I done?"

"I'll tell you what you've done," Ashley yelled, stomping up to her father's face. "You have lost your mind! You didn't even stop to think!"

"Don't you talk to me that way, young lady!" Uncle Phil spat.

"I'll talk to you the way I wanna, fat boy!" Ashley snarled in his face. "You don't love Will at all!"

"Of course I do, you idiot!" Uncle Phil shouted, gesturing to Will. "But look at what he's done-"

"Phillip," Vivian said sharply. "Look at what you've done. Will didn't mean for Carlton to take those pills, and as long as he didn't take them, I don't think we can really do anything about it except give him another talking to."

"Vivian!" Uncle Phil exclaimed. "Our son could be dead because of him!"

"Will didn't make Carlton take those pills," said Hilary thoughtfully, causing everyone to look at her in shock. "He didn't stop to look at the label anyway. It's his fault he's like this."

"Don't you dare blame my son for this," Uncle Phil growled, stepping to her menacingly.  
"Who are you gonna blame it on? Will?" said Hilary challengingly. "Big surprise, didn't see that coming."

"Excuse me?" Uncle Phil asked, raising his voice.

"You always blame Will for everything!" Ashley said through her newly developed tears. "Just because no one else is ever responsible for something!"

"Excuse me, young lady," said Uncle Phil, looking at his new prey. "But since you left yesterday without telling anyone, you are responsible for your punishment."

"I came to warn Will that something might be happening tonight!" Ashley said without thinking. "The whole damn school knows about this, and the police gave me a choice to tell you or they would. And I chose Will!"

Uncle Phil's eyes widened.

"Oh, boy," said Vivian, taking Ashley by the arm, "Baby, get behind me."

"You did what?" said Uncle Phil, baring his teeth.

"Just stop blaming Will, godammit!" Hilary yelled. All heads turned to her, but before Uncle Phil could respond, the doors burst open, revealing two doctors and a cop.

They had seen everything on camera.

"Phillip Banks," said the officer. "You're under arrest for assaulting an underage patient. You have the right to remain silent."

Uncle Phil spluttered incoherently as the officer took both his hands and clasped them into a handcuff.

"Wait!" said Ashley.

Everybody looked at her; she was holding the piece of paper Will had in front of him, and her face was twisted into distress. One of the two doctors took it from her hands and read it. Her eyebrows crept together. She passed it to Hilary, who stared at it, and gasped. She handed it to Aunt Vivian, who placed a hand on her chest where her heart was. The officer took it from her, read it, and let out a deep breath.

"Your nephew seems to know you better than you do, sir," he said, placing the letter in front of Uncle Phil's face.

"Oh, Lord," Uncle Phil moaned in pain, closing his eyes. The paper said:

I, Will Smith, hereby give Phillip Banks permission to cause any physical harm to me he feels nessecary to do, as I am responsible for the condition of his only son, Carlton Banks.

Will Smith

Three Hours later…

_He was in another world. He could not feel his own nerves, and could not see his own body. All around him were open doors leading into darkness, hovering in midair, and surrounded by clouds in a sunset sky._

_He could not move a muscle. Where the hell was he? He barely noticed the angelic figure floating up to meet him. When he looked up, he saw a little girl in black drapes, with golden wings that looked elegantly sculpted. Her locks trailed down to the clouds below. Her eyes were replaced with shocks of light. When she spoke, her voice held dispair and sincerity._

"_What are you going to do now?" she said. "Here you are…in Heaven. All you have to do is make the choice between staying and leaving."_

"_What?" said Will, confused._

"_You were hit hard enough to cause severe brain damage," the Angel said solemnly. "But do not worry," she added hastily, as Will rubbed his temples at Uncle Phil's actions._

"_All of this has been planned. Your prayers were heard."_

"…_they were?"_

"_Oh, yes," said the Angel. "And now you must make a choice. To return to the life you led…without Carlton…or to go through with death…in exchange for you cousin's life."_

_Will's heart broke into many pieces. He was not really ready for death. He was barely an adult yet. He had no woman's love, no kids, and no car in his life. He wanted to die when he was too old to get up from his bed anymore. He wanted to live._

_But Carlton wanted to live too, don't forget. And now because of him, Carlton may not have that chance. If that chance was taken away from him, Carlton would not be with him ever again. How could Will live through that, knowing that he killed his best friend? He would rather commit suicide anyway from the guilt. To hell with getting in trouble, that was the least of his worries._

_If Will died, he at least could die peacefully, living in heaven with a whole lot of girls, and watching Carlton live the life that he deserved. Without him._

_If only he had never accepted the Speed. He wanted to be there with his cousin…he still wanted to live…_

"_Okay…I've made my decision, madam," said Will, in a resigned voice._

"_I know you have. Are you sure?" said Angel._

"_Yes," said Will. Goodbye, mom, Uncle Phil, Aunt Viv, Hilary, Ashley, Jazz, Philly, Bel-Air, Geoffrey…Carlton._

_The Angel nodded, smiling. "Then you have made you choice, young man, and you will fulfill it."_

_A white light blinded his vision, a warm breeze dried his tears, and his body floated through golden gates._

_He knew no more._


	5. 1st Ending: Epilogue

Disclaimer- I DON'T KNOW SHI—TTAKE MUSHROOMS, LET ALONE THE CHARACTERS

Day four-nighttime

The first thing Carlton saw when he opened his eyes was a sharp light. He had to blink a couple of times to shake off the annoying glare, and adjusted it in no time. Looking around, he saw Dad, Mom, Ashley, and Hilary, sitting around him, looking morose. Each of them had been crying for some time now. What was most shocking was that Hilary's hair was messed up, along with her makeup, and she didn't even care. No complaints, no remarks, no nothing.

What was going on here?

It took a moment to realize that he was awake. Mom cried out in relief.

"Carlton, my baby boy," she sobbed, giving him a hug. Ashley bowed her head to his shoulder, calming herself down. Hilary smiled and massaged his feet. WEIRD! But Dad mainly placed a hand on his shin, still looking unhappy.

"It's alright, guys, I'm fine…" croaked Carlton; he was just getting used to his voice.

"Oh, Carlton," said Hilary emotionally. "We thought you were-"

"Yeah, but he's not," said Dad sharply. They all looked at him in shock.

"Carlton, I need you to tell me what happened at the prom night."

"First you have to tell me what's happened since I passed out," Carlton said; how long had he been here, did anything happen, etc…

"Only if you tell us what you did to make you pass out."

Carlton knew immediately what Dad meant.

"Okay, guys," said Carlton. "Here's what happened. I had this really big zit on my forehead and was trying to get some vitamin E to shrink it-"

"Ew, you still have it!" Hilary whined.

Carlton turned beet red. "Yeah, thanks, Hilary. So, anyways, I asked one of my friends if he had any vitamin E. He was half asleep when he told me to go check in his locker. I did , and I found these pills, and I took two of them. All of the sudden, everything around me is going so fast, and I'm dancing and attracting the ladies, and having a really good time. The last thing I remember is doing the running man to, 'I Will Always Love You.'"

Silence, Carlton was beginning to feel that the pills were not vitamin E, and that Will was the culprit here. Oh, please, Dad, don't hurt him.

"Son," said Dad, standing up and bowing his head. "The pills that you took…they were Speed."

All the air rushed from Carlton's lungs. This was too terrible to be true. Will Smith, on Speed, and Carlton, a drug addict?

"Oh my god," Carlton moaned, burying his face into his hands.

"Wait a minute," said Mom sternly. "Who was the young man who led you to his locker?"

Yep. They definitely knew. His fears were confirmed when Hilary said, "Oh my god, mom, we already know it was Will, so why bother asking Carlton? What a waste of time!"

Carlton looked up at his parents, and nodded. "He never took them, though," Carlton hastily added.

"We know, son," said Dad, trembling slightly. Ashley bit her lip, trying not break down again. Hilary's eyes flickered to everywhere in the room except her brother. Mom just started to cry again.

Carlton didn't get it. Why would they be crying when both he and Will made it out alive in the end, and when Will never took the pills? And how the heck did they know?

Which made him realize…where the heck was Will in the first place?

A cold feeling began seeping into Carlton's chest; knowing Will, he would have been there to see his cousin wake up. So where was he, if not here?

"Where's Will, guys?"

Hilary, for the first time in her life, collapsed over someone instead of something. Dad turned away, too overwhelmed to speak. Mom walked out of the room, still crying.

A horrible feeling of dread was taking over him. No…it's impossible…Will just couldn't be…

Ashley was the only person who hadn't had a meltdown. She took Carlton's hand.

"He…he told us everything that happened at the prom night. Daddy…daddy…kind of lost control and he…he…" Ashley stared into her brother's eyes, hoping he would understand. And Carlton did.

"How could you, Dad!" He exclaimed at his father, but his dad had already left the room, leaving him with his little sister.

"Then what happened? I mean, surely he couldn't have hit him that hard."

"He did" said Ashley. "But, Will didn't put up a fight. He signed a piece of paper saying it was okay, so the police can't even arrest Dad."

Carlton couldn't process everything in time. He wanted to know the next question.

"And Will? What happened to Will? Please, Ashley, tell me. I've got to know." Carlton was on the verge of having a temper tantrum.

The tears distorted Ashley's vision as she pointed to the bed next to him, that Mom had blocked while sitting next to him. His eyes turned. His body trembled.

The sounds of a young man's whimpers and moans, along with a little girl's wails filled the room as two pairs of eyes caught a pale green figure lying stock still on a mattress, with a purple lump on his forehead, cold sweat freezing on his body, and yet a peaceful smile on his lips.

His heart wasn't beating.

**A/N: Yes, I know he died…I just wanted to impose upon people the fact that drugs mostly tear apart families. It was either Carlton or Will, and I chose Carlton to live and Will to die. But hey! I said I would have an alternate ending, didn't I? Yes I did! Just give me a minute, won't you? AND DON'T DO DRUGS!**


End file.
